Author: Wansteadium

Plenty of people were sad when Wanstead’s charmingly odd Andrews Builders Merchants shut up shop. Like something from the Two Ronnies, it stood out alone, boxy and weird with a painted sign from decades past.

The sign survived the shop by a year or so, but ended up in a skip during renovations by the shop’s new owner, who was unaware of the sentimental attachment many in Wanstead had for it.

There is, though, a happy ending to this story. With high streets beset by chains, charity shops and closures, to say nothing of shop fronts with garish internally illuminated Perspex boxes, the curiosity of the spot has been – remarkably and wonderfully – preserved.

So welcome, everyone, the Wanstead Fabric Merchants. Congratulations to Geoff Rosenberg and family, the enlightened proprietors who employed Wanstead’s one-woman-smarter-high-street campaign, Gabrielle Collard, to design the new shop front.

While the painted window design gives the new shop a cool edge, the new sign could be a definition of sympathetic redevelopment. Wooden, with the same proportions, similar wording and style, yet with reversed colours to emphasise the changes.

All in all, a good day for the character and diversity of Wanstead. Let’s hope Geoff’s bravery is rewarded.

Send your pictures of Wanstead in the snow to wansteadium@gmail.com

To get the snowball rolling is this cracker from Richard Chambury (whose Autumn photos were such a hit here).

Wanstead Flats by Martin Warne – @mwarne

The Shrubbery by Pete J – @PeterJQJ

And two nice jobs from Neil Perry – @NPPhotographer

From Jillian Steggle

From Avril Rodriguez-Dixon

And Churchill with his traditional mohawk, from Paul Glynn

Wanstead Berries from C to the H – @EDMI_Podcast

These four from Keng-Gah, “on Sunday afternoon after crumble and custard at Queens”.

These two of Hollow Pond from Susannah Davies.

Above and seven below from Nicolle French.

And last word, for now, from Nice Croissant Kerrie. Thanks to everyone for sending photos in.

More than one Wanstead resident will have pondered whether there is the chance of a quick buck by renting out their home during the Olympics. I must confess I have myself. But take a look at this listing, as spotted by reader Wansteadium Janah, who says “Have you seen this?? £60,000 a week! In Aldersbrook!” You might note, on your way to the floor as you pass out, that the house has 16 bedrooms and maid service. But still.

I’m happy to be able to clear up a quandary for fellow reader Catherine, though, who was mystified by a story in the Wanstead Guardian a couple of weeks ago. “The 19 January edition features a front page article about renting homes during the Olympics. It mentions that a home in Thyme Avenue is asking for £10,000 a week. Having lived in Wanstead all my life I was surprised to have never heard of the road. I went to Google Maps and was surprised to The Avenue named as Thyme Avenue. I don’t think the road has undergone a name change but how could Google and The Guardian get it all Pete Tong?”

Well I can clear up one thing. There is not, nor ever has been, a road called Thyme Avenue there. I checked with Redbridge Council who very helpfully confirmed that “The Avenue in Wanstead has always been known as The Avenue ever since its creation circa 1897”. I can’t clear up how Google invented a name – and even less how our own local paper would fall for it. The council has contacted Google to have the mistake corrected.

Friends, I live to serve.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/mikeinnes76/status/164433008751951872″]

• Residents of Wellington Road and Nelson Road are collecting signatures asking for traffic calming because of the number of motorists who cut the corner from Hermon Hill to the High Street. Wansteadium reader Caroline said: “The speed of traffic is particularly dangerous for children and elderly residents; the road is also used by children to get to Wanstead Church School and other local schools. Remember we also have a stream of ‘L’ drivers trying to negotiate the road.”

• Weird goings-on at the Ilford Recorder. Some Scientologists came to Wanstead at the weekend to talk to people in the street about their church. The paper’s website ran a story, and some people on Twitter objected to it. It then disappeared, like it never happened.

• Wansteadium reader @Lornamedia has blogged some thoughts about cancer which it’s hard to ignore (even though that might be an easier option).

• Another quaint Wansteadium tradition maintained for another year: observing the healthy growth of mistletoe on trees in Wanstead. Last winter (and the winter before) it was a single sprouting which got noticed – this year a tree on Ashbourne Avenue clearly has five separate growths.

• More good news for Wanstead, following our upbeat retail roundup last week. Design company iwantdesign has moved into Wanstead from oh-so-trendy Brick Lane.

• Good luck to ace Larder baristrix Katherine whose band Bleech starts a nationwide tour next week. You can see tour dates and listen to songs from their EP Deadhead here.

• Thank you to all the new followers of Wansteadium – now more than 800 on Twitter, more than 300 on Facebook, and 270 (atow) who are receiving us by e-mail. You’re all welcome.